The Buzz: Valley Value Cinema to close

A group of young people head to Valley Value Cinema located in Valley Fair Mall in this file shot from 2004. The theater became a freestanding building in 2007 when the mall was torn down.(Photo: File/Post-Crescent Media)Buy Photo

Valley Value Cinema's last day in business will be Labor Day, Sept. 7.

After that, the longtime budget theater will close for good, Marcus Theatres announced this morning.

The cinema building at 2165 S. Memorial Drive in Appleton had been for sale since early 2013, but hasn't found a buyer.

The decision today was based on the limited availability of 35mm film in the market, which is what the second-run theater plays.

"Marcus Theatres is faced with the decision to either invest in digital projection technology at Valley Value or close the theater," the Marcus Corporation said in a release. "There is simply not enough attendance to support an expensive conversion of the theater's outdated technology to digital cinema."

It said its first-run theaters, Appleton East in Darboy and Hollywood Cinemas in Grand Chute, will continue their $5 Tuesday movies for value-oriented customers.

Valley Value's 14 employees were being offered jobs at these other locations.

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Valley Value Cinema's building was put up for sale in early 2013.(Photo: Sharon Cekada/The Post-Crescent, Sharon Cekada/The Post-Crescent)

The theater opened in July 1978 as Valley Fair Cinema, a three-screen complex attached to the Valley Fair Mall in the Town of Menasha. The entire mall parcel was annexed by Appleton in 1983.

In 1996, the theater was renamed Valley Value Cinema and became a second-run movie venue with discounted prices.

Marcus Theatres changed the configuration of the building and expanded it to have six screens.

When the attached Valley Fair Mall was demolished in 2007, the theater became a freestanding building and continued to operate.

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Valley Fair Shopping Center, the first weather-protected shopping center in the nation, held its grand opening on Thursday, March 10, 1955. Modern design, large glass areas on the central north-south mall are shown in looking south from the intersecting east-west mall. Two large planter boxes are at the center. Post-Crescent photo Post-Crescent Media

Ground was broken on July 1, 1953 for the Valley Fair Shopping Center, the first weather protected shopping center in the nation. Completion was expected to take three years. The grand opening was on Thursday, March 10, 1955. Post-Crescent Media Post-Crescent Media

March 4, 1955. A vast expanse of glass at Valley Fair shopping center provides adequate natural light without the direct glare of the sun in this view of the northern exposure under the lean-to roof over the long mall, and the even higher windows over the shorter mall dividing the center. Designer was George Narovec, Appleton architect. Post-Crescent photo Post-Crescent Media

March 9, 1955. Adequate, lighted parking space is provided at the new Valley Fair shopping center both on this north side, looking across Highway 47, and the south side. Tall floodlight poles can be seen at center and to the left. Post-Crescent photo Post-Crescent Media

March 1955. The long, enclosed central mall of the Valley Fair shopping center provides complete protection from the weather, winter and summer, is shown in this view, looking east from the western entrance near Krambo Food store. The 20-foot width of the mall enables shoppers to inspect merchandise displayed in full-length glass windows on either side. Appleton Architect George Narovec was the designer. Post-Crecent photo. Post-Crescent Media

March 5, 1955. This portion is not complete, lacking a long, wide canopy extending from one end of the sidewalk to the other, over hundreds of feet of store window display cases. The center was designed by Appleton Arhitect George Narovec to present an attractive front on all sides. Post-Crescent photo Post-Crescent Media

The builders wanted to insure visibility of all the stores from Highway 47. That meant placing the stores in the open U shape. It meant, also exposing shoppers to that northwest wind. The solution was found in the covered mall or midway. Post-Crescent Media